


Legacy

by greenfire246



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Angst, F/M, Friends to Enemies, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Song: The World Was Wide Enough
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2021-01-16 18:29:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21275744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenfire246/pseuds/greenfire246
Summary: Hamilton's thoughts before the fateful duel.





	Legacy

Somehow Hamilton knew that this night would be a night he would never forget. Something big was coming, though whether it was to be good or bad he was unsure. But however the duel with Burr ended, the result would create a ripple that would have after-effects spreading centuries into the future. Call it a hunch, call it a gut feeling, but the light squirmy lurch in Hamilton's stomach wouldn't go away. Although Hamilton wasn't usually one to believe in intuition and superstition, there was something in the air that wasn't quite right. Perhaps it just was that the duel was against his personal code. He'd never made it a secret how much he loathed this particular method of settling an argument and he wasn't eager to partake in such a violent and crass tradition. But he had been left with no choice. Either way, whatever happened, the disagreement would be resolved by the end of the night. From the comfort of his bed, it all seemed so fanciful. Was this the way his friendship with Burr, his very first friend, was to end?

Risk itself was nothing unusual for Hamilton. Over the course of his life, he had lost count of the many risks he had taken. Some had panned out spectacularly and he'd managed to make a name for himself as he rose through the ranks of the government of the new nation he'd help to build. Others had not panned out so well and it was only through the forgiveness of his gentle and compassionate wife and the grace of God that he had been saved from a disastrous fate. But he had stumbled along through the ups and downs of life due to the saving grace that was his friends, his supporters, and the people he loved. Laurens, Lafayette, and Mulligan had been comrades in arms. Angelica had kept him honest. Washington had built him up. And Eliza... Eliza was his everything. 

Legacy. Planting seeds in a garden you never get to see. For better or for worse, he had left his legacy. He had played a part in the foundations of this glorious, magnificent, wonderful new nation. He'd stumbled along and built a name for himself from nothing. For better or for worse, he would be remembered. 

But what of his dear friend and his worst enemy? Burr had never stood for anything but himself. Even now, he reached for power with no vision of the future he wanted to create. He'd marked his steps carefully, always dancing between sides and taking what he could at no risk to himself. Perhaps he was the smarter of the two. He'd certainly had much less heartache and public humiliation. But he also had never put himself on the line for something greater than himself. He had risked nothing and at the end of the day what would his legacy be?

Hamilton shook his head, it wasn't like him to brood incessantly on such negative thoughts. He was a man of action and he had promised to meet Burr in New Jersey. Although the uneasy feeling still sat in his stomach, he was a man of his word. Lightly, he brushed the hair from Eliza's head, kissing her forehead and slipping away to prepare. He had already asked his wife for so much, hopefully she would forgive him for this. If he had one major regret, it was the pain that had come to her at his own doing. He had never deserved her. 

Alexander took one last look at his room, smiling softly. He had no doubt that he would be back that night, but he couldn't say that anything would ever be the same. In all of his many altercations over the years, he had never once raised a finger against a friend. He sighed deeply. It never should have come to this. This one last messy ordeal. An act of closure to his imperfect legacy and then he could come home. He could settle down, give Eliza the life she deserved, and live out a quiet retirement in relative obscurity. He'd made his difference and placed his mark on the world he couldn't wait to see flourish and grow. He'd left his legacy.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! i'm trying to write more for NaNoWriMo and I hope this first oneshot wasn't too terrible XD


End file.
